


Butterflies

by livxxmarie



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Homophobic Language, Internalized Homophobia, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 01:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7461834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livxxmarie/pseuds/livxxmarie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was supposed to be a double date. Their dates bailed last minute. How that turned into Rhett and Link going on a totally-not-gay-bro-date, Rhett wasn't really sure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Butterflies

“Isn’t this kind of, uh, gay?” Rhett asked in a hushed tone, his cheeks burning. Link looked at him and rolled his eyes.

“Dude, since when is it gay for friends to go see a movie together?”

“It’s a _romantic comedy_. And we’re getting dinner afterwards. At like, a nice place.”

Link still shrugged as if he didn’t care, but his face also turned pink and he flipped his attention back to the movie screen.

“I’m not about to waste money on those reservations.”

Rhett rolled his eyes at his best friend’s frugalness. They had planned the date night to be with their respective girlfriends, Amber and Mindy. Though Rhett didn’t get along with Mindy all that well, he agreed to the double date just to see the relieved smile that Link threw him. Of course, right after they had paid the restaurant for the reservations, both the girls had to cancel last minute for some cheer practice thing, leaving the two alone with their plans.

Rhett had gone to see movies with Link dozens of times, but it felt weirder at this moment. Everything with Link had felt stranger since the boy had gotten serious with Mindy. Every time that Rhett saw him with her, his stomach boiled with anger. He kept blowing it off as just a feeling he got about her, but when he noticed the butterflies fluttering around his stomach as Link looked at him with those blue eyes as a cheesy romantic song played, he questioned his feelings for Mindy and, more prominently, his feelings for Link.

“We haven’t hung out just the two of us in a while, anyways. What’s the big deal?” Link’s voice was well above a whisper and Rhett shushed him.

“You’re gonna get us kicked out, you dummy.”

“No one’s even in here, Rhett.”

The realization that they were, in fact, alone in a movie theater together made the taller of the two flush. Link noticed this and rolled his eyes again.

“Stop being so weird.”

“I’m not being weird! We’re just in a weird situation!”

“Now who’s being the loud one?” Link shot back, smirking. Rhett huffed a sigh. “Besides, man. We’re not gay, right? So it’s not weird. We have girlfriends.”

Rhett grew silent and stared past Link, focusing his attention on the movie. He wasn’t sure how to respond. Was he gay? What did any of this mean? Why is it that every time Link nudged his arm he felt like he was on fire? He pushed all of these questions down and tried to remember what the plot of the movie was. A few moments later, Link leaned over and whispered in his ear.

“This movie sucks, man. We should sneak in to a different theater.”

Rhett cursed himself for how much he knew he was blushing and the goosebumps that rose on the back of his neck from just the whisper alone. Trying to regain control of himself, he shot Link a look and turned back to watch the movie as he spoke.

“I like this movie.”

“Really, man?” Link asked, laughing at him. Rhett glared back. “Maybe you _are_ gay!”

Rhett blinked at this, willing himself to laugh or shoot back an insult. Instead, it felt like he was frozen. His eyes were trained on the movie screen, but weren’t following any of the characters.

“Rhett?” Link’s voice was softer, cautious. Rhett could see the boy’s blue eyes trained on his face from his peripheral vision, but pretended not to hear him.

“You’re not gay, are you?” Link’s question was barely out of his mouth before Rhett snapped himself out of it and rolled his eyes.

“Dude, shut up and watch the movie.”

Link stared at him curiously for the next few seconds, a question obviously on the tip of his tongue, yet he said nothing. Rhett had almost completely blocked the interaction from his brain by the time his shorter friend spoke up again.

“If you’re not gay, hold my hand.” Link’s eyebrows were furrowed analytically as he held his hand out to Rhett. The taller one let out a loud laugh at his seriousness, the butterflies in his stomach going crazy.

“In what world does that make any sense?”

“Well, you won’t feel anything if you’re not gay. It won’t be a big deal. We used to hold hands all the time.”

Rhett’s mind flashed to when they were children, walking through the forest hand-in-hand so neither of them fell as they made their way to their spot. He pushed the memory back and shook his head at Link.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Are you gay?”

“Of course not.”

“Prove it. Hold my hand.”

Rhett stared at him for another moment, doing his best to keep his face clear of any emotion. Finally, he let out an exasperated sigh and took Link’s hand in his own. His stomach felt like it might fly out of his body at this point and his hand lit on fire. Still, he did his best to keep his composure. When he looked at the brunette to raise his eyebrows and pull away, Link’s expression hadn’t lost its curiosity and he shook his head.

“Nah, you gotta hold my hand for longer than that.”

Rhett glared at him for a moment, wishing Link would just let it up, and prayed that his acting skills were good enough to convince the boy that the action of holding his hand didn’t faze him in the slightest. He ignored the happiness that filled his naïve heart at the idea of holding Link’s hand for the rest of their non-date and trained his attention back onto the movie. The position had grown so comfortable and felt so natural that Rhett had nearly forgotten they were holding hands when Link’s thumb ran up his own hand and he nearly melted.

“What are you doing?” He asked through gritted teeth, turning his eyes back to Link’s. He was expecting to be met with a triumphant smirk and some stupid joke, but instead saw pure embarrassment on the shorter boy’s features.

“Sorry, uhm. Sorry. Force of habit.”

Suddenly, Rhett formulated an idea to get back at Link. He raised both eyebrows and smirked.

“Are _you_ gay?”

Link didn’t answer audibly, simply rolling his eyes as his cheeks burned crimson.

“If you’re not, this shouldn’t bother you,” Rhett continued, his stomach fluttering as he wrapped an arm around Link’s shoulders.

His voice betrayed him slightly, wavering as he made the movement. His bare arm burned as it rested atop Link’s shirt and he felt the shorter boy’s neck and hair touch his skin. Link looked up at him, eyes filled with false annoyance that melted as soon as they met Rhett’s gray irises. It truly sunk in that they were alone in the theater, all by themselves, nearly cuddling. A moment passed as they stared at each other, frozen in time, and Link breathed shakily as he opened his mouth with a nervous smile.

“If you’re not gay, you could kiss me without feeling anything.”

It took Rhett a moment to respond, his entire body filled with butterflies that made him feel like he was floating in some unrealistic dream. He meant for it to be a quick peck, really. His lips met Link’s with hesitance and his brain had tried to tell him to pull away, but Link responded immediately to the kiss and Rhett melted at the younger boy’s touch, heart soaring. Fifteen minutes later, here they were, Link’s hands twisting themselves wonderfully in his hair, their lips moving against each other like they were made to be there, every hair on Rhett’s body standing on end as his veins filled with fire and passion.

And for something that had been instilled in them to think so wrongly of, _God_ it felt _so damn good_.


End file.
